


Hagen

by Cold_Arrow



Category: Original Work
Genre: Emotional Hurt, F/M, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Homelessness, Homesickness, Psychological Trauma, Veterans, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 19:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19874746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cold_Arrow/pseuds/Cold_Arrow
Summary: Hagen’s eyes nervously wandered across the market square to where the open space lost itself in a maze of narrow streets. The hand around his upper arm tightened. “Don’t run away boy,” said Clemens, who was quick to sense that the boy was looking for an escape route. “You’ll only make things worse for both of us. The colonel told me to bring you to his office. Do you want me to get in trouble with the colonel?” Clemens asked, holding out his left arm which ended in a stump[...]-------------------------------------Hagen screwed up. Now he is taken to face Colonel Wolf.





	Hagen

Hagen’s eyes nervously wandered across the market square to where the open space lost itself in a maze of narrow streets. The hand around his upper arm tightened. “Don’t run away boy,” said Clemens, who was quick to sense that the boy was looking for an escape route. “You’ll only make things worse for both of us. The colonel told me to bring you to his office. Do you want me to get in trouble with the colonel?” Clemens asked, holding out his left arm which ended in a stump.

Hagen stared at the stump for a moment, as they pushed their way through the crowded market stalls, towards the exit of the square. The maimed arm reminded him of how he had sat outside the makeshift field hospital, at Clemens side, surrounded by scores of wounded and dying men. Hagen had been crying and shaking uncontrollably as Clemens lay in his own blood. Only a little earlier that day, the soldier, despite being badly wounded in battle, had saved his life.

No, Hagen didn’t want to make things worse for Clemens by running away. He didn’t want the one-armed veteran to get in trouble with Colonel Wolf. After all, whenever the colonel went to the temple, he gave a small coin to Clemens who held out his hand to beg for alms.  
Who gave a one-armed cripple work? A life as a street beggar was the harsh prospect for many army veterans who were discharged on grounds of disabilities.

***

Hagen and Clemens stood silently in Colonel Wolf’s office, after the servant had beckoned them to go in. The colonel sat behind his desk. Clemens stood to attention in front of the officer, erect and with his eyes fixed straight ahead. Hagen, however, kept his eyes lowered and stared at his feet. Colonel Wolf didn’t pay attention to the veteran, who was standing in front of him in worn out clothes. He was staring coldly at Hagen. Eventually Hagen got the hint of what was expected and hesitatingly stiffened to attention, shoulders back, chest up and forced himself to fix his gaze on the wall ahead.

Then Wolf turned to Clemens. “Thank you for bringing me this fellow, comrade. Now go to my servant in the kitchen. He will give you three coins and as much stew as you want to eat. Oh, and have a jug of beer, too.”

“Yes sir,” said Clemens delighted. “Very generous of you. Thank you very much, sir.” Clemens saluted eagerly, which the colonel acknowledged with a slight nod. Then Clemens turned and left.

With a cold, hard expression, Wolf turned his attention to the boy. He propped his elbows on the desk, folded the fingers of one hand over the fist of the other hand, and stroked his lower lip with the back of his thumb. He stared straight into Hagen’s face, letting the time pass, until the boy’s eyes began to flicker.

“How dare you to run away from school,” began Wolf with a low and threatening voice. Then he roared at Hagen, “How dare you shame your father, who pays for your expensive tuition! And you shame me, your guardian, too!”

Hesitatingly Hagen replied, “I have done my part of the agreement.”

Wolf looked at him with mock astonishment: “Agreement? Am I hearing you right, boy? What agreement?”

“My dad said I have to go to school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. I learned reading, writing and arithmetic. I even learned Greek … ”

“Pffft … you speak Greek?”

“I fulfilled my part of the agreement.”

“There was never such an agreement.”

“I want to go home.”

“This is your home, boy, until you’re told it isn’t any longer!”

“I hate this city. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“What’s wrong with this city?”

“This city stinks and is dirty.”

“Nobody cares about your sensitive nose!”

“There are so many people everywhere. The streets, the squares, the temples … everything is full of people who are dirty and stink.”

“Do you think the miserable barbarians in your country stink less than our citizens here in the capital?”

“But at least there are fields and forests around the fortress, and at night I can see the stars. Here I can’t see the sky during the day, because of all the smoke!”

“Get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it!” yelled the boy back at him.

The colonel took in a sharp breath. “How dare you talk to me like that! How dare you raise your voice against me!” he roared at the boy as if they were at the drill ground. He jumped up from his chair.

From the kitchen came the sharp noise of crockery breaking on the floor.

Wolf looked at the boy with a threatening stare. Hagen struggled to answer, but he failed to bring a single word to his lips. Slowly Hagen let his head hang low. His lower lip quivered.

A moment of silence passed.

“Sit down,” the colonel said, with calm voice, pointing to a chair.

When there was no reaction from Hagen, he repeated, “Sit down.”

Hagen sat down and Colonel Wolf settled back behind his desk.  
The colonel granted the boy a moment to collect himself. He liked the boy well enough. He didn’t want to crush him completely, as he would’ve done with any soldier who dared to talk back to him in such a manner. The boy was obstinate, but also young.

Hagen sat there, with his eyes cast down and struggling with his feelings.

“What did you intend to do? Did you mean to loiter around the town you hate so much?”

“No, I wanted to go home,” said Hagen with a flat voice.

“You wanted to go … ? Tell me, have you lost your mind! I thought you had learned something at school. Do you know how far this is?”

“I would’ve made it.”

“Without any money?”

Hagen shrugged his shoulders. “I could beg.”

“My goodness,” groaned the colonel as he threw his hands up in despair. Secretly, however, the thought crossed his mind that this boy might actually succeed. He was not like the other boys at school, who were mostly from wealthy families or the knighthood. Maybe you really don’t belong here, Hagen, the colonel thought. He sighed silently.

~ End of part 1 of the Colonel Wolf serie ~

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 1 of a serie of loosley related stories. Evolving around a small set of original characters. Fictional.


End file.
